Most Excellent Past Grand High Priest (1982)
Companion John B. “Jack” Hall was born at Lincoln, the son of MEPGHP Benjamin H. Hall and Edna Ferne Hall. He was awarded a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration by Bradley University. United in marriage with Margarete Glatzel on 27 January 1958 in Berlin, Germany, the Halls have a son, a daughter, a granddaughter, a grandson and three great-grandsons, and are members of Grace United Methodist Church in Pekin. He served as an Army musician, playing the tuba, sousaphone and string bass with the 298th Army Band at West Berlin, and the Fifth Army (now U.S. Army North) Band at Fort Sheridan where he also moonlighted with his musical talents in the post’s service clubs. Jack was employed with Caterpillar, Inc. in Human Resource Systems.
Jack began his Masonic career when he joined DeMolay in 1949. He was awarded membership in the Legion of Honor by Illinois DeMolay in 1982.
Jack was raised to the sublime Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of the State of Illinois, which he has served as Worshipful Master in 1978 and 2001. After receiving his degrees in Pekin Lodge, Jack served his fellow soldiers and A. O. Fay Lodge No. 583 (now No. 676) of Highland Park, by coaching most or all of the lodge’s courtesy candidates during the period of approximately April 1956 until May 1957, in his room in the Fort Sheridan band building; these men were commissioned and non-commissioned officers stationed at Fort Sheridan, and haled from many states. He is a now a member of Empire Lodge No. 126 in Pekin. He fulfills his research interests as a member of the Philalethes Society, the Phylaxis Society, and the Illinois Lodge of Research of whom he is a Past Master, and who surprised and honoured him with the Alfonse Cerza Award. In addition to visiting many lodges in the Netherlands, he has visited more lodges in Germany than have even most German brethren, and has seen the work for all three craft degrees plus some of the higher degrees and orders in three of the five grand lodges that are subordinate to their United Grand Lodge, including die Große Landesloge der Freimaurer von Deutschland (FO Freimaurer Orden) which works in a ritual related to the Swedish Rite with 10 degrees and orders and the Große National-Mutterloge „Zu den drei Weltkugeln“ – 3 WK (Grand National Motherlodge To the three Worldglobes) with 7 degrees and orders. Aside for a few visits to American-Canadian lodges, all of the work he has seen in those two countries has been in German or Dutch). The unusual grand lodge structure in Germany is a consequence of German Freemasonry’s utter obliteration in the 1930s by the National Socialist regime and its post-war re-creation during multi-national occupation and partitioning. He currently serves as Grand Representative of the Grand Lodges of Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, in Illinois.
He was exalted to the supreme degree of Holy Royal Arch Mason in 1956 in Pekin Chapter No. 25 in 1956 and installed as Pekin Chapter’s Excellent High Priest in 1964.. He is a plural member of Peoria Chapter No. 7 in Peoria, and Holy Land Chapter No. 8 in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is a member of Philalethes Chapter and Ohio Chapter of Research. He served the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Illinois as a District Deputy Grand High Priest, Excellent Grand Sentinel and several terms as Excellent Grand Steward. At the Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter held in 1975, Companion Hall was elected Excellent Grand Master of the First Veil and from there progressed to the office of Most Excellent Grand High Priest into which he was elected and installed in 1982. After serving several years as Right Excellent Grand Treasurer, he accepted the office of Excellent Grand Organist. As with the craft degrees, he has witnessed many of the German rituals of what would be considered York Rite degrees in our system and has repeatedly visited the combined grand convocation of die Oberstes Großkapitel der Maurer vom Köeniglichen Bogen von Deutschland (the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of Germany) und (and) die Kryptischen Maurer von Deutschland (the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Germany), where the two bodies meet together, the altar is draped half in red & half in purple and the grand officers hold the corresponding positions in both lines. He currently serves as Grand Representative of die Oberstes Großkapitel der Maurer vom Köeniglichen Bogen von Deutschland in Illinois. While attending the annual convocation of the die Oberstes Großkapitel der Maurer vom köeniglichen Bogen in 2009, the candidates for combined office of MEGHP & MIGM asked Jack to preside over the election as a neutral party; he was then honored to serve as Installing Grand High Priest to install the victor, Dr. Juan Brackins-Romero, in their Grand East.
Companion Hall was greeted as a Select Master in 1956 in Peoria Council No. 11, Cryptic Masons of Illinois, and received the degree of Super Excellent Master in the same year. He went on to serve Peoria Council No. 11 as their Thrice Illustrious Master in 1965. He is also a plural member of Pekin Council No. 23. He served Illinois Council of Thrice Illustrious Masters as Thrice Illustrious Master in 1977, was a member of the cast and later director, and served many years as Secretary & Treasurer. In serving the Grand Council, he has been the Table Council coordinator, former Parliamentarian, and Illustrious Grand Organist. As described in more detail in the preceding paragraph, he has attends joint grand convocations of the combined Grand Council & Grand Chapter of Germany and serves as Grand Representative of the Großkonzil der Kryptischen Maurer von Deutschland (Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Germany) in Illinois.
Jack was dubbed and created a Knight of the Valiant and Magnanimous Order of the Temple in Peoria Commandery No. 3, Knights Templar of the State of Illinois, in 1957 in Peoria, and was elected Eminent Commander in 1980. Since 2008, he has been the Eminent Grand Organist of the Grand Commandery of Illinois.
As a Past Master, Past High Priest, Past Thrice Illustrious Master, and Past Eminent Commander, Sir Knight Hall was received into Illinois Priory No. 11 as a Knight of the York Cross of Honor. He now holds the jewel of a Knight of the York Grand Cross of Honor with one (red) quadrant in recognition of his installation as Grand High Priest, and a blue background in recognition of his service as Eminent Prior of Illinois Priory No. 11 in 1990.
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Our most excellent companion was initiated into the Allied Masonic Degrees, including the Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Royal Ark Mariners and Ye Ancient Order of Noble Corks. He is a charter member, Past Sovereign Master and the past Secretary-Treasurer of Shadrach Bond Council No. 272 in Decatur. He was received into the Masonic Order of the Bath.
He was elected and received the degree of Knight of the Masonic and Military Order of the Red Cross of Constantine and the Orders of the Holy Sepulchre and St. John the Evangelist, and is a Past Puissant Sovereign. He was ordained into the order of Holy Royal Arch Knight Templar Priests, and is Past Preceptor of his tabernacle. He served as Pre-Eminent Governor of his York Rite College in 1978, was received into the Order of the Purple Cross, and was an Associate Regent of the York Rite Sovereign College of North America.
Jack was created a 32° Scottish Rite Freemason and Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret in 1961 in the Valley of Peoria, where he served as Thrice Potent Master of Central City Lodge of Perfection and Commander-in-Chief of Peoria Consistory. In recognition of his service to Freemasonry, he was coroneted a 33° Freemason and Inspector General Honorary in 1990 by the Supreme Council of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the 33rd and Last Degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States of America. He was further honored with induction into the Provincial Grand Lodge of the U.S., Royal Order of Scotland, and is a member of the Scottish Rite Research Society. His travels in Germany have led him to witness all four of the Scottish Rite degrees currently worked in that country (4°, 18°, 30° and 32°, normally with an introduction in the preceding degree, plus 33° – latest time as a guest in the east); the German Supreme Council has plans to extend the Lodge of Perfection work to include references to several steps to the 14th Degree, but Jack has not seen this thus far. He has also witnessed the Rose Croix of Heredom (18th Degree) in the Netherlands.
He was created a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, in Mohammed Shriners of whose Brass Band he has been a member since 1959; and is a member of the Order of the Sword of Bunker Hill, and the National Sojourners & Heroes of ’76.
He was initiated into the Order of the Eastern Star; White Shrine of Jerusalem; and the Order of Amaranth.